Good speaks to Clean Beauty Model Babette McLennan about aging naturally and cultivating a holistic life filled with beauty.
Babette is a model, grandmother, and yogi who is passionate about clean beauty, a healthy lifestyle, and ageing gracefully. She has modelled for Kowtow, Twenty-Seven Names, Georgia Jay, and many other New Zealand brands. Based on the Kāpiti Coast, she lives among a close-knit community of friends, and at 75, she is an advocate for ageing naturally. Committed to daily yoga, sea swims, organic food, and mindful living, she shares some of her wisdom and rituals as she reflects on her life.
“I have found ageing to be a gradual process of adjustment and acceptance.“
Q What is beauty to you?
A Beauty to me is being kind and accepting of myself and others. I feel it’s about practising understanding before judgement, and to notice, listen well, and be grateful.
Q What products do you use each day?
A I’ve followed what my friend and naturopath told me, which is to never put anything on your skin that contains chemicals.
I use organic sesame oil to massage my body, and in the morning a hot flannel compress on my face, followed by Dr. Hauschka Revitalising Day Cream. I now cover up when I’m out in the garden with a soft shirt, a hat, and Essone sunscreen.
At night, I put my legs up, remove my make-up with Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Cream, and take magnesium. I don’t put anything on my skin overnight — I just let it be.
Q What are your holistic beauty rituals?
A
Movement
I have always valued being fit, and it’s still an important part of my life. I’ve worked as a massage therapist and yoga teacher, and now I have some arthritis, joint and tendon pain, so I move to stay well.
I have a daily ritual of yoga, tai chi, chi gong, breath work and beach walks with my friends. I attend three local somatic classes each week, which I find challenging, but I feel energised and uplifted afterwards.
My body tells me what it feels like, and as I get older it’s more about rest and gentleness.
Sauna
I had my first Finnish sauna in Wellington when I was 18, at the now Tory Urban Retreat, and I have been going there ever since! Over my life, the sauna has been a connecting time to cleanse and heal with a community of women who chat, share and laugh together.
Ocean swimming
For over thirty years I’ve been sea swimming with my group of friends, and for the past four winters we’ve committed to daily three o’clock dips. I’ve always loved the ocean and feel confident in the water, so I get sent out first as “shark bait” and report on all the crabs and stingrays to look out for! We have an incredible outlook to Kāpiti Island and the Southern mountains, and my eldest daughter Amber has been inspired to take up winter swimming too.
Meditation
I have a beautiful collection of friends who share my love of meditation, and we sit together and study each week. It brings a very important dimension to my life, as it teaches me the truth of who I really am.
Organic home-grown food
I have an organic seaside garden that I eat from daily, and I’m part of the Raumati South Community Orchard. After much tending and care, we now have delicious fresh plums, apples, pears, feijoas, citrus and apricots each year.
My favourite thing to eat at the moment is juicy green kiwifruit I found growing on a huge wild vine.
Massage & osteopathy
I enjoy seeing practitioners who work intuitively with the body’s wisdom, and it’s always a treat to receive a good, firm massage.
Growing and picking flowers
I spend a lot of time tending to my flower garden, and it’s filled with roses, hydrangeas, lilies, and sweet peas that bring me much joy.
“A well rounded life that is interesting, full of learning and development and having a spiritual practice I believe, creates a more beautiful world.”
Q What beauty wisdom would you like to share with others?
A Let yourself age naturally, gracefully and holistically.
I have found ageing to be a gradual process of adjustment and acceptance — both of my changing body and my mind. I believe it’s essential to keep exercising, use common sense, and do what you love doing.
So much of life is about keeping an open mind and heart, and a deep willingness to acknowledge and change behaviours that no longer serve me or others. I would encourage leaning into challenging times, to learn from these and to develop yourself.
Having a wide circle of community and great friends is so important, as many of us are not in partnerships, and as human beings we require connection, support and care.
I love to read, listen to live music at the Raumati Social Club, camp in the bush by the river with friends in summer, take care of my grandchildren, have time with my two daughters, and help in our community orchard.
A well-rounded life that is interesting, full of learning and development, and having a spiritual practice, I believe, creates a more beautiful world.
Q What’s your favourite beauty product?
A Lipstick! I love the way it lights and lifts my smile. I’ve been using the same one for years — Antipodes Oriental Bay Plum Moisture-Boost Natural Lipstick — and I always put it on when I leave home.
Q Best Beauty Tip
A Go out with a smile.
Q Are there any quotes you’d like to share with us that inspire you?
A “Place only your kindest thoughts on everything you do today. Meet yourself.” — Byron Katie
“My body tells me what it feels like, and as I get older it’s more about rest and gentleness.”
IMAGE CREDITS:
Images supplied by Every Day Clean Beauty, shot by Olivia Melhop
Make-up artist: Amy McLennan
Babette for Kowtow’s Reimagine capsule — limited pieces that reworked signature Kowtow fabrics, giving unused materials a second life. Shot by Harry Culy.
